My take - a mammoth opportunity missed

So the Utah Hockey Club is now the Utah Mammoth. Ummm.... ok.

I previously have said they should have gone with the Mountaineers. Classic, non-cartoonish, and would have fit in nicely with the State and the NHL.

It also would have fixed the yeti problem. They could have had the mascot be a yeti, or a bigfoot, or a sasquatch, and its name could have been "Wasatch" which was the original plan for the team name Yeti anyway.

But nooo.... now we have a mammoth as a mascot. How are you going to have a mascot as a mammoth?

I don't know, won't the tusks get in the way of any antics he wants to do?

What a missed opportunity.

Why didn't they come to me and ask me what I thought?

Seriously.   

Tusks up: The Utah Hockey Club is now the Utah Mammoth

(ksl.com May 7, 2025)

It's been about 10,000 years since a mammoth last roamed Utah land. So with that perspective, the naming process for Utah's NHL team hasn't been too long at all.

After a 13-month process, featuring multiple rounds of fan voting and trademark issues (not to mention an entire season), Utah's NHL team has a permanent name.

What was the Utah Hockey Club is now officially the Utah Mammoth.

The team said a total of 850,000 votes were cast over the course of a year to eventually land on the new moniker.

"The community chose the Utah Mammoth brand, and it stands as a symbol of who we are, where we came from, and the unstoppable force we're building together," team owners Ryan and Ashley Smith said in a statement.

The announcement ends what has been a long process to find a name for the NHL's newest franchise.

It started in April 2024 when Smith Entertainment Group put out a public request asking for potential team names. A month later, the organization released its first ballot, allowing fans to choose four names of a list of 20.

That list was cut to six names — Yeti, Blizzard, Hockey Club, Venom, Outlaws and Mammoth — for another round of voting last summer.

And then the trademark hurdles came.

The team hit a snag with presumed favored Utah Yeti when Yeti Coolers refused to enter into a coexistence agreement with the team. The team had plenty of conversations with the cooler company, and the NHL (a Yeti partner) even tried to help tip the scales, but Yeti ultimately wanted to protect its own trademarks.

So the team moved on from the name that had topped many lists, and the final vote was between Mammoth, Hockey Club and Outlaws (only after a brief flirtation with "Wasatch" as a potential Yeti replacement).

Mammoth was the "clear favorite" in that final tally, according to the team, which was something that was seen from fans on social media and within the arena. But that's only one reason Wednesday's announcement wasn't a big surprise.

Last week, the team essentially leaked the name by updating its YouTube handle to "UtahMammoth" — a pretty clear sign of what was coming.

The team even took the positive reaction to the hiccup as further validation that it had made the right choice for the name.

The Mammoth moniker comes with plenty of Utah ties, too. Mammoth fossils have been found throughout Utah, including in Bear Lake, Fillmore, Orem, Park City, and Lake Powell. A complete mammoth skeleton was even discovered in Hunting Canyon in 1988.

As for the rest of the branding, the team will retain its inaugural season colors — blue, black, and white — but introduce updated designs.

The primary logo features a mammoth profile with a mountain peak forming the crown of its head. The silhouette of Utah is embedded within the mountain, with an "M" inside the state outline. Secondary logos include a tusk piercing a "U" and a new "Mammoth Sans font."

Jersey designs will resemble last season's sweaters, maintaining similar stripe patterns but showcasing the new marks. The home jersey will be black with the primary logo on the chest. The away jersey will feature the diagonal "Utah" wordmark in the updated font.

The away jersey can be seen as a call-back to the Utah Hockey Club season — and it likely won't be the last. The organization emphasized the Utah HC name will always remain part of its history, with future opportunities to pay tribute to the team's inaugural identity.

For now, though, the focus is on launching the new Utah Mammoth brand.

While fans had to wait for the official name, they won't have to wait for merchandise.

Hats, shirts, hoodies, and more — everything except jerseys — will go on sale at the team store in the Delta Center at noon on Wednesday. Jerseys will be released, along with the rest of the NHL's uniforms, ahead of next season.

https://www.ksl.com/article/51308328/tusks-up-the-utah-hockey-club-is-now-the-utah-mammoth

More "blah blah blah" from Garber - "a powerful soccer nation"

From the KSL article about the Miller's buying RSL there was a quote from Garber. 

"The fact that we, together, can take this sport and combine the power of what makes sports so important and how it can enrich and improve lives," Garber said. "Particularly in a state like Utah that has such strong participation, speaks to the momentum and the vision and the opportunity that this sport, this club, and our sister club, the Royals, can have in just making our country a powerful soccer nation."

I can't stand Garber, never could even when I was a die hard "MLS can do no wrong" fan.

But he thinks MLS and the NWSL can make the US a powerful soccer nation. Dude, have you not been paying attention? The US is getting worse at soccer, not better!

MLS has been around almost 30 years! And women's soccer I have no idea, sometimes it is here and sometimes it goes away.

But over the past 30 years, with maybe one or two exceptions, the US has never gotten better at soccer on the world stage. We are always struggling to even qualify for the World Cup, last time we didn't even make it. 

And Garber keeps spewing this garbage about us becoming a powerful soccer nation. One can argue it is because of MLS and the lack of real competition that the US has never been, and most likely never will be a powerful soccer nation. 

Dude, get lost.

Oh, and by the way, the Utah Warriors are now in 1st place in Major League Rugby. How's RSL doing?

Isn't it ironic

Kind of funny, ironic, or sad, however you look at it, that the Miller group bought RSL seeing as back in the day Dave Checketts (RSL's founder) accused Larry H. Miller of trying to sabotage any RSL stadium deal.

I vividly remember Dave Checketts being interviewed by Doug Wright on KSL radio when Checketts was pushing to get a stadium deal done. He was running into a lot of road blocks, or at least he saw it that way, and he accused Larry Miller of working behind the scenes to sabotage any stadium progress. 

Doug Wright was shocked.

But I kind of side with Checketts on this one because I also remember Larry Miller being interviews on KSL radio when he was interested in buying the Minnesota Twins MLB team and move them to Utah. He was asked if there would be enough of a fan base to support a MLB team and he replied "We'll have to wait and see how the soccer team does."

Meaning he thought that if the soccer team was successful then there wouldn't be enough other sports fans out there to support a MLB baseball team whose season schedule would over lap that of a MLS team.

You have to remember this all took place at a different time when Utah's population was about half what it is now. 

Anyway, the soccer team stayed, the Twins did not come to Utah, and now the Millers own RSL.

What the hell?

Miller family buys RSL, Royals as Smith Entertainment Group exits

(ksl.com April 18, 2025)

The Miller family is expanding its sports ownership portfolio five years after selling the Utah Jazz to Ryan Smith.

Miller Sports and Entertainment announced its acquisition Friday of the controlling interest in RSL Football Holdings, which runs both Real Salt Lake in MLS and Utah Royals FC in the NWSL.

The official announcement came during a press conference at America First Field that featured the commissioners from both leagues, along with Utah Governor Spencer Cox.

Former majority owner David Blitzer was also in attendance and will remain on as the second-largest owner behind the Millers, while Smith Entertainment Group will exit the soccer sphere.

"I'm very excited to work with everyone and continue to build on the successes of RSL and the Utah Royals, and ultimately bring championships to Utah," Blitzer said.

Smith congratulated Larry H. Miller Company co-founder Gail Miller on the purchase of the two soccer clubs in a statement Friday.

"We are glad that soccer is staying in Utah, and Gail Miller is an ideal local steward to lead Utah's professional soccer franchises moving forward," Smith said. "With so much growth on the horizon for Smith Entertainment Group ... now is the right time to tighten our focus on the NBA, NHL and other areas where we can make the biggest impact on our state, our community, and the world of sports."

The Millers maintained a smaller role in the Utah sports scene after its sale of the Jazz with continued stewardship over the Salt Lake Bees, which included moving the minor league side to a new ballpark in Daybreak.

ESPN reported in March that the Miller family was interested in purchasing RSL three years ago when Smith and Blitzer took over, and now they get their chance to run professional soccer in the state of Utah.

Steve Miller, chairman of the Larry H. Miller Company, will serve as chairman and governor for both clubs. Blitzer stays on as alternate governor for RSL and former Utah Jazz president and Larry H. Miller CEO Steve Starks will be the Royals' alternate governor.

"These clubs' values align so closely with our family's values and the way that we think about professional sports," Steve Miller said. "We love how soccer has grown here in Utah. We believe it's family-friendly, and it includes communities.

"We built our business headquarters right here in Sandy, not far from where we stand, and we look forward and are grateful for the opportunity to continue to invest in the state as well as in these strong teams."'

The Millers own the Jordan Commons business area across State Street from America First Field, which also includes the company's Megaplex Theaters offices. Starks committed to keeping the teams in Sandy and said there are plans to develop both the stadium and areas around it to enhance the gameday experience.

The Athletic reported the value of Friday's sale to the Millers at $600 million. Smith and Blitzer purchased RSL for approximately $400 million in January 2022 and brought the Royals back to Utah last year as an expansion team for a reported $2 million fee to the NWSL.

Though brief, the Smith-Blitzer ownership era included the two largest player purchases in RSL history in Andres Gomez and Chicho Arango, and the largest sale when Gomez was flipped to French club Rennes in August 2024.

The ownership group also invested heavily in the return of the Royals by building a new training and performance center for the NWSL side connected to RSL's facility in Herriman.

MLS commissioner Don Garber commented during the press conference that Friday's event was the largest club announcement he has attended in MLS and also the first event to feature both himself and NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman.

"The fact that we, together, can take this sport and combine the power of what makes sports so important and how it can enrich and improve lives," Garber said. "Particularly in a state like Utah that has such strong participation, speaks to the momentum and the vision and the opportunity that this sport, this club, and our sister club, the Royals, can have in just making our country a powerful soccer nation."

https://www.ksl.com/article/51297183/miller-family-buys-rsl-royals-as-smith-entertainment-group-exits

Becoming a rugby fan!

So, now that soccer is dead to me I'm becoming more and more of a rugby fan!

This has been going on for only a couple of months now but I've been watching all of the Utah Warrior highlights on YouTube and I've been watching videos on the "laws" of rugby and I'm hooked. (I'm still a little hazy on some of the penalties that get called but all the basics I have down.)

The Warriors have three more home games this year, April 26th against the Chicago Hounds, April 30th against San Diego Legion, and May 12th against the Seattle Seawolves.

I am for sure going to make it to one of those games, (and when I do I will post some photos to prove it.)

But this is awesome, I'm going to have a team to follow and cheer for again. 

And I won't have to deal with one of the main reasons I left soccer, which was the constant diving and faking of injuries. (See my posts from years ago about Landon Donovan and Neymar.) 

There is no diving and faking injuries in rugby! Oh hell no, these men are men. Don't give me that soccer crap anymore, I watch a real sport now.

So all you soccer "supporters" out there, whatever Loyalists, Rogue Cavalier Brigade members, and wanna be hooligans that are still left, come follow a real sport. MLS is dying anyway, the USL is going to bury MLS once pro/rel becomes a reality in a couple of years. The USL is going to steal all of MLS' thunder, no one will care about MLS anymore, hell, no one cares about MLS right now. 

So start now and become a Utah Warriors fan, that way when RSL goes away, and it will, you won't care because you'll already be wearing a kick ass Warriors jersey.

And the Warriors logo is awesome, so much better than RSL's. C'mon, admit it.

 

Uh oh..... part 2 - Promotion Relegation is coming to soccer in the USA

MLS is so screwed, and I am so happy. 

USL just made it official, promotion/relegation is going to happen. Look for it in 2027 or 2028, but it is now going to be a reality and with it MLS just became a lower level league.

They are going to have to do something, MLS is going to have to change. If they don't all the excitement in US soccer will be with USL.

This is going to get good and I am going to be watching much more closely. I want to see Garber and MLS get uncomfortable, and uncomfortable they will be. 

This is delicious.

(btw, YouTube is blowing up with videos about this. Eric Wynalda has done a couple, and a lot of other "soccer guy" that I have no idea who they are because I haven't followed soccer closely at all. But if you want go to YouTube and search and enjoy the show.)

Uh oh.... "USL announces plans to start new league that would rival MLS"

My take.... I love this! 

MLS basically ruined my love for soccer. The way it is set up, they way it does business, Garber, etc.

MLS just became a monster, sullied by greed and corporate money.

Is USL any different? I don't know, I have never really followed them much. But with the chance of promotion and relegation in the future, the USA might just get a [english accent] proper football league [/english accent].

I will be watching this closely, and who knows, I might just come back to soccer.

-----

(espn.com 2-13-25)

The United Soccer League confirmed plans to launch a Division One men's professional league in 2027 rivaling Major League Soccer and defined by the sanctioning standards of the U.S. Soccer Federation, the USL announced on Thursday.

USL would operate completely separately from MLS, despite working under the same sanctioning by U.S. Soccer as a professional soccer league.

"Today is a defining moment for the USL and the future of soccer in the United States," said Alec Papadakis, CEO of the United Soccer League.

"Creating a Division One league is a bold step forward, expanding access to top-tier competition, deepening the connection between our communities and taking another step in aligning with the structure of the global game. By uniting people through soccer and bringing Division One to more cities, we're not just growing the sport-we're creating lasting opportunities while building a more sustainable and vibrant soccer ecosystem in the U.S."

The new Division One league stands as the highest of three levels for the USL, that includes USL Championship (Division Two) and USL League One (Division Three) to redefine a new system to progress development and talent.

In a statement released later on Thursday, U.S. Soccer said: "The continued investment into the game reflects the strength of the United States as a soccer country, which will only accelerate as we build towards hosting the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. We welcome innovation and growth to the landscape of American soccer and we look forward to learning more."

The new tiered system would foster a promotion and relegation style in the long run, a feature that MLS does not employ.

"The USL has long been committed to creating a structure that drives growth, opportunity, and long-term success in American soccer," Papadakis said.

"The USL model empowers clubs with greater autonomy and fosters a dynamic, interconnected system-one that allows them to compete at the highest level while remaining deeply rooted in their communities. Around the world, top-tier clubs thrive in cities of all sizes, and we believe the same is possible here. The demand and infrastructure are in place, and the potential for growth is immense."

USL launched in 1986 with the idea to foster a youth-to-professional pathway for both men and women under one system across communities nationwide.

The organization previously launched a women's pathway that includes the top-tier USL Super League (Division I), which debuted in 2024, and USL W League, the country's leading pre-professional women's league, according to a news release from USL.

USL states the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics generated interest in the sport and high participation rates, inspiring the further development of the league.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/43827636/usl-announces-plans-new-league-rival-mls

RSL "Grid City" unform

"The 2025 Grid City Kit represents the grid our city was built from, not only street lights and concrete but the streets that connect us."

So this is what happens when you really don't care anymore, you miss the new uniform reaveals. I used to love checking out the soccer news on a daily basis throughout the winter to see when the teams would reveal their new "kits" for the upcoming year.

Now, meh.

I kind of knew the season was starting this weekend, but then so was bullfighting season over in Spain so I guess RSL just slipped my mind. Then this morning I wake up and while having breakfast I check out KSL and see a RSL article. 

Of course RSL got beat but I perked up a bit when I saw their new uniforms. 

Upon further research I see they are called the "Grid City" uniforms based on SLC grid system for its streets.

So, good on them for trying something new. Now if they can just win a game.

Composer Mark Snow on creating The X-Files theme music

Here, instead of wasting your time watching soccer highlights, check out how the theme song of the X-Files came about.

(link to X-Files theme song for your listening pleasure)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2d6T5G2rrY

More reason to despise US Soccer

US Soccer, a bunch of dastardly bastards.

You may notice the video I posted back on December 15th which was a clip from the Netflix report about Hope Solo and her fight with US Soccer is no longer available. 

Why? you might ask.

Because the YouTube account that created the video has been terminated!

That's right, US Soccer must have complained and the account was given a red card.

C'mon, commie bastards.

If you are still a soccer fan after all this time, after all the crap US Soccer and MLS has pulled over the last couple of decades, then I can't help you. You are too far gone. You have drank too much of their Kool-Aid.

In my humble opinion, soccer sucks, MLS sucks, US Soccer sucks. (You may feel differently, but this is how I feel, take it or leave it.)

My only wish is that the US national team gets embarrassed at the next World Cup. 

Wow, Utah Hockey really have a mess on their hands

The Yeti is dead.

The Mammoth lives! 

The Outlaws are gone, but here comes the Wasatch. The Wasatch? 

Wait, the Outlaws are back!

Huh?

Good lord, they should have gone with the Mountaineers since day one, problem solved.

Below are two articles from KSL explaining the whole situation. Really I don't care though, bullfight season in Spain starts this month, and Mexico City's biggest bullfights of the year are this weekend. 

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The Yeti is dead: Utah NHL team vote down to 3 names — Mammoth, Hockey Club and Wasatch

(ksl.com 1-29-25)

The Utah Yeti is dead.

The next step to finding the Utah Hockey Club's permanent name will begin Wednesday night at the Delta Center with a fan survey between the final three names: Utah Hockey Club, Utah Mammoth and … Utah Wasatch.

Wait — what?

Yep, a new name (Wasatch) has emerged as things reach the top three — along with a pretty glaring omission.

The perceived favorite Utah Yeti(s) is out as an option; though, not necessarily by the team's choice.

"At the end of the day, (Yeti coolers) have a trademark that allows them to print Yeti or Yetis on clothing and other licensed merchandise, and without a coexistence agreement, we would not be able to print that," Smith Entertainment Group executive Mike Maughan said.

A coexistence agreement is a deal struck by the two companies, allowing each to use the name. But both sides would have had to say yes to such a deal, and the cooler company declined.

"They made a determination that, for the sake of their brand, they didn't want to enter into a coexistence agreement," Maughan said.

But that wasn't for a lack of trying on SEG's part.

Maughan said the team engaged with Yeti "extensively," and the NHL (a Yeti partner) even tried to help tip the scales. But Yeti ultimately wanted to protect its own trademarks.

So with that, the team had to move on from the name that has topped many lists since SEG announced it was picking the name via a fan vote last spring.

"We went through a great process," Maughan said. "The name came from fans, we talked with them at length, the NHL weighed in. At the end of the day, it was their decision."

But the team still wanted to honor the Yeti name for the next round of voting — and that's where Wasatch came into play.

Maughan said the new name allows the team to honor the idea of the "mythical snow creature" (he seemed careful not to use the Y word) and give it a Utah feel.

"We have the Wasatch Mountains, we have the Wasatch Front, we have so many different iterations or ways that we could do it, so we wanted to honor the sentiment of one of those top names while also including a Utah-centric version of it," he said.

So the Yeti is dead, long live Wasatch? The fans will now decide if that's good enough to stick with a Yeti theme for the name.

Fans attending the next four home games (beginning with Wednesday's game against Pittsburgh), will have a chance to vote on not just the name but also get a sneak peek of the potential new look of the team.

There will be iPad stations located throughout the arena where fans can vote on the name and give ratings for logos and ice rink designs. Voting will be ready as soon as doors open and will continue throughout each game. No pictures of the designs will be allowed.

"We'll have people at every level of the arena in each of the different clubs and suites and levels so that anyone who wants to be able to take it will have the opportunity to do that," Maughan said.

And if you liked the name Yeti, you probably won't be too upset about the proposed logos.

The Wasatch and Utah Hockey Club logos feature a similar "mythical snow creature." The Mammoth logo is, as you may expect, a stylized mammoth.

The black, blue and white color palette the team has used this season will continue as part of the permanent brand. But the team's current logo — even if Utah Hockey Club ends up the winner — will be changed.

Maughan said there's a chance this will be the final vote before settling on a permanent name.

"We'll see how the results come in and make a determination from there as to whether there will be one more, or whether this is the final great question," he said.

And while the Yeti hiccup has changed some things — like adding Wasatch to the mix — it hasn't delayed the final steps of the process. Maughan said everything is still on track for a name and brand to be announced ahead of the 2025-26 season.

"We always anticipated that there would be another iteration where we were able to include names and logos, so we're exactly where we thought we would be," Maughan said.

https://www.ksl.com/article/51240556/the-yeti-is-dead-utah-nhl-team-vote-down-to-3-names--mammoth-hockey-club-and-wasatch

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SEG pulls an audible with Utah's NHL team vote; Wasatch is out, Outlaws is back in

(ksl.com 1-30-24)

Wasatch, we hardly knew thee.

A day after announcing the final three names under consideration, Utah's NHL team is pulling an audible (eh, making a line change?). The Utah Wasatch is being swapped out for Utah Outlaws.

"We listened to your feedback and dug into all the Qualtrics data from last night's survey. For the team name, it's clear that Outlaws should be in the mix instead of Wasatch, so we're swapping it out," the team announced on social media Thursday.

So now it's between the Utah Hockey Club, Utah Mammoth and Utah Outlaws.

Utah Wasatch was never part of any of the previous iterations of the survey and was brought in as a replacement for Utah Yeti after the team ran into trademark issues with that name.

The Utah Outlaws was part of the final six names announced last summer and has long been among the fan favorites on social media. And it should pose a bigger challenge for what had become the new favorite in "Mammoth."

Chants of "Mammoth, Mammoth, Mammoth" echoed throughout the concourse Wednesday from people waiting in line to vote. KSL.com asked 29 people who had just voted or were waiting in line what name they supported. The results? Mammoth 21, Hockey Club, 7, Wasatch 1.

But it wasn't uncommon for voters to mention how they wished Outlaws was still in the mix; they now have their wish.

There was enough momentum behind the name that it got the Smith Entertainment Group to change course. Or maybe the enthusiasm for Wasatch was meh at best.

So out goes Wasatch, in comes Outlaws, and now the voting continues.

"I'm excited. I like the thought process behind the three names and I really like the fact that our fans will have the opportunity to choose what they want," head coach André Tourigny said. "It will be an honor for us to have the name that the fans choose."

Surveys and voting will continue at the Delta Center during Friday, Sunday and Tuesday's games.

https://www.ksl.com/article/51241612/seg-pulls-an-audible-with-utahs-nhl-team-vote-wasatch-is-out-outlaws-is-back-in

Maybe Yeti, maybe not

My thoughts....

I still think the name of the hockey club should be the Mountaineers. I doubt they would have any trademark issues with that name. 

But nooo......... they need to go with some Saturday morning cartoon name. 

Whatevs.

--------------------

Utah Hockey Club facing trademark hurdles in finding permanent name

(from ksl.com 1-21-25)

The Utah Hockey Club is having issues getting the trademark for its preferred permanent name.

It's no secret that "Yetis" or "Yeti" has long been the favorite to replace the team's temporary "Hockey Club" moniker — with everyone from management and players hinting at it as early as last summer.

But there could be a snag. Namely, YETI is already a pretty big brand.

Earlier this month, the trademark for "Utah Yetis" was refused by the United States Patent and Trademark Office due to a "likelihood of confusion"

"Trademark Act Section 2(d) bars registration of an applied-for mark that is so similar to a registered mark that it is likely consumers would be confused, mistaken, or deceived as to the commercial source of the goods and/or services of the parties," a non-final action issued on Jan. 9 said.

The Utah Yetis trademark application was for use in connection with "clothing, namely, shirts, T-shirts, jerseys, sweatshirts, sweatpants, caps, hats, scarves, infant and toddler one-piece clothing, pajamas, bandanas, underwear, gloves, socks, shorts, suspenders, swim trunks, coats, jackets, robes, pants, leggings, sweaters, ear muffs, cloth bibs, belts, warm-up suits, headbands and wristbands."

The problem: YETI already has numerous trademarks in standard and stylized fonts for just about all of those things.

As for adding Utah to the name, the USPTO said that wasn't enough of a differentiating factor.

"In the present case, the wording 'Utah' in the applied-for mark is merely descriptive of or generic for applicant's goods. Thus, this wording is less significant in terms of affecting the mark's commercial impression, and renders the wording 'YETIS' the more dominant element of the mark," the non-final action said.

No, Utah's NHL team isn't a cooler or drinkware company, but sells similar things. YETI isn't a hockey team, but its trademark includes a number of things that a hockey team would like to sell. So, there's at least some overlap there.

But what about making Yeti plural?

"An applied-for mark that is the singular or plural form of a registered mark is essentially identical in sound, appearance, meaning, and commercial impression, and thus the marks are confusingly similar," the action said.

Welp ...

A future logo or style likely won't help things either with the trademark office saying that "a mark presented in stylized characters" or with a "design element" generally will "not avoid likelihood of confusion"

So, what now?

The team has three months from Jan. 9 to respond with further evidence and arguments to support its claim for the new trademark (it will also have to fix some bookkeeping things).

So there's still hope for those who want to cheer on the Yeti or Yetis. Hey, the Detroit Red Wings and Red Wing Shoe Company have similar names (and even pretty similar logos), after all.

And the team, at least, should be prepared to make its case.

In September, Utah Hockey Club president Chris Armstrong said that while the team knew the name the fans wanted, it was a "complicated process" from a legal, trademarking and intellectual property perspective.

"We're in that process now of determining what is achievable in that realm," he said.

But, in the end, what if the Yeti name isn't achievable?

Here's a look at the applications for the other announced finalists:

Utah Blizzard and Utah Venom: Both of these trademark applications were also refused due to a "likelihood of confusion" — with the trademark office pointing out many of the same issues the team has with trademarking the Yetis.

Utah Hockey Club: This one was refused on the Principal Register due to "the applied-for mark is primarily geographically descriptive of the origin of applicant's goods and/or services." In simpler terms, you can't just trademark "Utah."

But there looks to be a simple workaround here.

The team filed the name under a 1(b) application — or an intent-to-use application — back in the spring of 2024. If the team files an amendment to show it's using the name (which ... should be pretty easy) then it can amend the application to the Supplemental Register. That should clear things up.

Utah Mammoth: There were "no conflicting marks" found here, but some bookkeeping will need to be cleared up on the application (a proper address, making a disclaimer that the team has no claim to "Utah", etc.).

The Mammoth non-final action was sent on Nov. 5, so the response deadline is in just a couple of weeks. If that deadline passes without a response, the application will be abandoned.

Utah Outlaws: The Utah Outlaws application also doesn't have issues apart from some clerical things. The non-final action was sent on Jan. 9, though, so a little more waiting to see what happens with this one.

https://www.ksl.com/article/51234156